Baikalobia elochinensis sp. n. (Plathelminthes, Tricladida, Continenticola), a new species of endemic Baikal planarians: morphological and genetic comparison with the type species Baikalobia guttata (Gerstfeldt, 1858).

Endemic freshwater planarians of the family Dendrocoelidae (Plathelminthes, Tricladida, Continenticola) are characteristic components of the Baikal fauna. Despite the long history of research on this group, new species and genera of Baikal planarians have been regularly described (Porfirieva, 1977; Timoshkin et al., 2004; Porfiriev et al.

[Telomere length and phylogenetic relationship of Baikal and Siberian planarians (Turbellaria, Tricladida)].

Dynamics of the telomeric DNA (tDNA) and the phylogeny of the Baikal and Siberian planarians have been studied based on the analysis of the 18S rDNA and beta-actin gene fragments. A relationship between tDNA and the planarians size has been demonstrated. Giant planarians with a minor exception have longer tDNA than little planarians.

[Cytophotometric determination of genome size in two species of Cyclops Lake Baikal (Crustacea: Copepoda: Cyclopoina) in ontogenetic development].

Genome size of Cyclops in cells at early stages of cleavage (up to the 5th division) and in somatic cells were estimated by a static digital Feulgen cytophotometry in order to study the quantitative changes in DNA content during chromatin diminution. Our realization of the cytophotometric method was approbeted on five different digital-imaging systems in blood cells of four vertebrate species. In all cases, we observed a direct correlation of the obtained and known from the literature data on the genome size and a high reproducibility, which allows to use these systems in future work.

[Molecular-phylogenetic analysis of cyclopoids (Copepoda: Cyclopoida) from Lake Baikal and its water catchment basin].

Baikalian cyclopoids represent one of the richest endemic faunas of freshwater cyclopoid copepods. The genus Diacyclops Kiefer, 1927 is the most numerous by species number in the lake. In this work, molecular-phylogenetic analysis of 14 species and 1 sub-species from Lake Baikal and its water catchment basin is performed.

[Interspecific variability of telomeric DNA length in some Siberian and endemic Baĭkal planarians (Plathelminthes, Tricladida)].

The length of the telomeric DNA in nine species of planarians inhabiting Lake Baikal and one Siberian species from Baikal rivers was determined using Southern hybridization. According to preliminary estimations, it varied in the range of 25-30 kb (Rimacephalus arecepta, Rimacephalus pulvinar, Sorocelis hepatizon, Sorocelis nigrofasciata, Protocotylus sp., Baikalobia guttata, Bdellocephala baikalensis, Phagocata sibirica) and 50 kb (Baikaloplana valida, Baikalobia copulatrix).

[Description of three microsatellite loci of the Baikal omul Coregonus migratorius (Georgi)].

Three new microsatellite loci found for the Baikal omul Coregonus migratorius (Georgi) are described.

[Phylogenetic relationships between 16 species of Lake Baikal sculpin fish based on a nucleotide sequence analysis of a mitochondrial DNA fragment of the cytochrome b gene].

The fragment of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene from 16 species of Baikalian sculpins belonging to three families--Cottidae, Comephoridae and Abyssocottidae--was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced. Phylogenetic trees were built from data obtained. Some disconformity were noted between systematical and phylogenetic notions of today and obtained results.